Istanbul Kitchen Sink Unclogging
For kitchen sink unclogging, Cantley cleans the whole line from the sink trap to the building's shared stack without breaking tiles or walls. Robot heads scrape off the grease stuck to the pipe wall, and high-pressure water washes it away. The kitchen drain carries the heaviest load in the home. Grease that arrives with the washing-up water runs freely while it is warm, then sets hard once it reaches the cold part of the pipe. Add coffee grounds, rice grains, tea leaves and eggshells, and the sink first empties slowly, then stays full of dirty water. The aim of clearing a blocked kitchen drain is to strip the grease layer off along the whole length of the pipe.
In restaurant, café, hotel and canteen kitchens the situation is more serious. With pots and trays washed all day, the amount of grease going into the line is far higher than in a home kitchen, and a blockage can stop the kitchen in the middle of busy service. Where there is a grease trap, the most common cause is a full trap. Where there is none, it is the main line coated in grease. For businesses, we clean the drain line from end to end with a robot and high-pressure water, check it with a camera, and plan the maintenance interval with you so the problem does not return. The dishwasher's discharge line is checked as part of the same job.
Signs that your kitchen drain is blocked
A blocking kitchen drain shows itself most in the sink, in the dishwasher and in the smell.
Standing water in the sink
If water collects at the bottom of the sink while you wash up and drains slowly, a layer of grease has narrowed the pipe. If running hot water helps for a short while and the sink then slows down again, the grease has not melted. It has only softened and moved a little further along.
Machine water comes back into the sink
If grey water rises in the sink while the dishwasher empties, the machine and the sink are draining into the same blocked line. In that case the shared drain line needs to be cleared before you look for a fault in the machine, because the problem is often outside the machine.
Sour food smell
A sour food smell coming from the sink is a sign of food waste rotting in the trap and in the wall line. The smell is stronger in summer, and it is often seen together with small flies gathering around the drain.
White layer in the trap
If you see a whitish, soap-like layer under the strainer or inside the trap, the grease has cooled and begun to set. Beyond the trap, inside the wall and in the horizontal pipes leading to the shared stack, this layer can be much thicker.
Water in a neighbour's sink
In apartment buildings, when the kitchen stack blocks, greasy water comes up in the sinks of the flats below. If water rises in your neighbour's kitchen while you use your sink, the problem is in the shared line and should be handled together with building management. Clearing the trap of a single flat does not solve it.
Why a kitchen drain blocks
The main cause is cooking grease. Frying oil, butter stuck to the pan, stock and roasting fat are liquid when hot, and pouring them into the sink seems harmless. Once the grease cools inside the pipe, it sticks to the wall and thickens layer by layer with every new load of washing-up water. Over time this layer reacts with detergent and soap and hardens. It no longer melts with hot water and has to be scraped off. That is why even small amounts of grease, poured regularly, narrow the line. Most kitchen blockages begin with this silent build-up.
The second cause is solid waste that escapes down the sink. Coffee grounds and tea leaves form a heavy sludge with the water, rice and pasta swell as they absorb water, and vegetable scraps and eggshells stick to the grease and make the plug bigger. In sinks without a strainer, these scraps go straight into the trap. Even in kitchens with a waste disposer, the ground-up waste combines with grease and settles in the horizontal sections of the line. These solids act like a skeleton inside the grease and harden the plug. Even if a snake bores through, residue stays on the pipe wall.
The third cause is the structure of the building. In most buildings kitchen drains connect to a narrower stack, and the horizontal sections of that stack are well suited to grease build-up. In older buildings, the inside of cast iron pipes has narrowed with rust and grease. In restaurants, the length of the line, the upkeep of the grease trap and how busy the service is determine how often blockages occur. So for a business it is wiser to plan regular cleaning than to call only when the drain blocks. In home kitchens, the problem usually starts in the horizontal section of the stack.
How we clear a greasy kitchen drain
In a kitchen line, the aim is to strip the grease off along the whole length of the pipe rather than push it a little further on.
Trap and machine line
First the sink trap is removed, the greasy sludge inside is emptied, and the dishwasher's discharge connection is checked. If water runs once the trap is cleaned, the problem may be solved here. If the line is greasy, we move on to the next step. Before the trap is refitted, the seals are also checked and replaced if necessary.
Opening a path with the snake
A motorised drain snake is fed in through the connection in the wall to open a path through the set grease plug. This lets the water flow again and prepares the line for high-pressure water. If the snake is left to do the job alone, the grease layer on the pipe wall stays in place, so the work does not end here.
Robot and high-pressure water
The thick grease layer is scraped off the pipe wall with the brush and chain heads of the robot machine. High-pressure water is then run through the line, carrying the loosened grease and sediment to the stack and from there to the main line. In restaurants, this is applied along all the long horizontal runs.
Camera check and handover
After cleaning, we look inside the pipe with a camera to see whether any grease is left. The sink is filled and emptied, and the line is tested by running a discharge from the dishwasher. For businesses, the findings are shared and the time of the next cleaning is set together. If needed, the grease trap connection is also looked over.
What to do in the kitchen while you wait
- Do not run the dishwasher. The water it discharges goes into the blocked line and can make the sink overflow.
- Scoop the food scraps off the standing water in the sink with a strainer and put them in the bin. Do not push the water down towards the trap.
- Do not pour boiling water to clear the line. PVC connections can soften, and the grease will set again a little further along.
- Collect frying oil in a bottle and do not pour it into the sink. This habit also helps prevent blockages after the line has been cleared.
- In your business, stop using the sinks connected to the blocked line, and if possible send the washing-up to a sink on a different line.
Pictures from the field
Removing and cleaning the trap under the kitchen counter 
Checking the kitchen drain line with a drain camera 
Crew clearing a washing machine drain
Kitchen Sink Unclogging by district
We provide this service in all 39 districts of Istanbul. Choose your district.
Frequently asked questions
Does pouring boiling water help when the kitchen drain is blocked?
It is not recommended. Boiling water can soften PVC drain pipes and seals. It also only pushes the grease a little further on. The grease sets again in the cold pipe inside the wall, and the blockage moves to a place that is harder to reach. Hot water from the tap helps with a light build-up, but a thick layer needs a robot and high-pressure water.
If the dishwasher is not draining, could the drain be blocked?
Yes, it could. In most kitchens the dishwasher connects to the sink trap or to the drain line right behind it. When this line narrows with grease, the machine cannot empty its water, or the water comes back into the sink. Having the drain line checked before you take the machine for repair saves you an unnecessary search for a fault.
When should a restaurant kitchen's drains be cleaned?
They should be cleaned at regular intervals, without waiting for a blockage. In a busy kitchen, if the drain line blocks during service, the washing-up stops and the kitchen cannot work. At the first cleaning we see with the camera how quickly the line gets dirty, and we set the maintenance interval together with the business. If needed, the work is done outside service hours.
Are baking soda and vinegar enough for a kitchen drain?
They only partly help with light, fresh grease build-up. The fizzing of baking soda and vinegar can loosen a thin layer in the trap, but it will not clear a set mass of grease, coffee sludge or a blockage in the stack. If the water is still slow after a few tries, the problem is deeper than this mixture can reach.
How do I get rid of the bad smell from the kitchen?
The smell goes once the greasy deposit in the trap and the wall line is cleaned. The bad smell mostly comes from rotting food waste or from the water in the trap evaporating. Scented products cover the smell for a short time, but the source stays where it is. Cleaning the trap and washing the line with high-pressure water removes the source of the smell.
Our other services
No-Dig Drain Unclogging
We locate the blockage with a camera, then clear it with a drain snake and pressurised water. Your tiles stay where they are.
See detailsToilet Unclogging
From an overflowing toilet to the building's shared stack, we clear the toilet drain.
See detailsWashbasin Unclogging
Whether the blockage is in the trap or in the line inside the wall, we clear it cleanly.
See detailsCommercial Kitchen Drain Clearing
In restaurant and cafe kitchens, we clear the floor drain, grease trap and shared line without interrupting service.
See detailsShower and Bathtub Drain Unclogging
We clear the hair and soap that build up in floor drains, shower channels and bathtub drains.
See detailsBalcony Drain Unclogging
We clear balcony drains clogged with leaves, soil and sand before the rain arrives.
See detailsDrain Unclogging
We work out which drain is blocked, then clear the line in your home or workplace.
See detailsBlocked Drain Clearing
Is the blockage in the trap, the shared stack or the building outlet? We find it and show you the cause so it doesn't come back.
See detailsPVC Drain Pipe Unclogging
We clear PVC drain pipes without breaking anything, using heads that won't damage them.
See detailsPipe Unclogging
PVC, cast iron, galvanised or concrete pipe: we clear the blocked pipe with a head suited to its material.
See detailsCCTV Drain Unclogging
We look inside the pipe together on a screen and clear the blockage exactly where it is.
See detailsManhole Unclogging
We clear the inlet and outlet lines of an overflowing manhole and get the flow moving again.
See detailsSewer Line Unclogging
We clear the building's main sewer line all the way to the street connection.
See detailsChannel Drain Unclogging
We use high-pressure water to clear garden lines, ramp and car park grates, and storm drains.
See detailsSewer Cleaning
We regularly clean out sludge, grease and root build-up with high-pressure water jetting.
See detailsSewer Camera Inspection
We find cracks, collapses and root intrusion with a CCTV drain camera and show you the footage.
See detailsSewer Line Renewal
We locate the damaged section with a camera and replace only the part that needs it.
See detailsBackflow Valve Installation
We keep water that comes back up from the street in heavy rain out of your basement and ground floor.
See detailsPVC Drain Pipe Replacement
We replace PVC drain pipes that are cracked, leaking or laid with the wrong fall.
See detailsVacuum Truck Service
24/7 pumping with combination and mini vacuum trucks for septic tanks, manholes, grease traps and flooded basements.
See detailsSeptic Tank Pumping
We empty full or overflowing septic tanks by vacuum and take the waste to an authorised disposal point.
See detailsSeptic Tank Cleaning
We clean the sludge at the bottom, the crust on the walls and the inlet and outlet pipes with high-pressure water.
See detailsCombi Vacuum Jetting Truck
One truck jets the line clean and vacuums out the sludge, for blocked main lines and full manholes.
See detailsMini Vacuum Truck
Our small truck gets into narrow streets, steep hills, courtyards and low garage entrances.
See detailsCar Park Vacuum Truck
We pump out an enclosed car park flooded after rain and clear the grate and ramp channels.
See detailsVacuum Truck Hire
We assign an operator-driven vacuum truck to construction sites, factories and housing complexes for scheduled or regular work.
See detailsPrivate Vacuum Truck Service
A vacuum truck for your own property that comes on your schedule, with no waiting in a queue.
See detailsVacuum Truck Company
A vacuum truck company that asks about the job over the phone, picks the right truck and transports the waste according to the rules.
See detailsCall if the water in your kitchen will not go down
Whether it is a home kitchen or a restaurant, you can call 0212 923 66 85 or write to us on WhatsApp. The Cantley team comes 24/7, strips the grease along the pipe and gets your sink draining again.